Wednesday marked the official start of the Browns' unique radio rights deal with WKNR-AM, 850, and WKRK-FM, 92.3.And what better way to ring in the new partnership than have general manager Michael Lombardi on the two sports talk stations?If you want to listen to the better interview, check out Lombardi's appearance on The Really Big Show yesterday morning with ESPN Cleveland hosts Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer.If you're looking for a laugh, I suggest Lombardi's 13-minute interview with Kevin Kiley and Chuck Booms on The Fan.In the latter appearance, Kiley and Booms weren't shy about expressing their disappointment in the Browns' draft, and Lombardi, to his credit, handled it well.He also channeled his inner Bill Belichick by turning a tough question into a non-answer — only Lombardi's version of Belichick is much less grumpy and much more long-winded.A few of my favorite answers from the interview:

When Booms asked Lombardi about not drafting a quarterback later in the draft, the response went in more directions than Josh Cribbs' wildest kickoff return.Lombardi: “I think everything is about value in the draft. I think you always have to look at whatever decision you make with the pick you're picking. It's about the value of what the pick brings and what you can do with it and move forward. You're sitting there with the card in, and it's not about filling in a depth chart.(Yes, this is part of the same answer) “You quote Belichick, and certainly he's a major influence in a lot of people's draft processes, and having worked with him, I think it's about building a team. It's not collecting talent. I think that's been Joe's philosophy going back to when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles.(Still going) So every decision you make is about trying to build the right pieces to the right team and how it all fits together. It's not just about, 'Let's add this guy, let's add that guy,' because it may not fit. And having been on the other side of it with the media, not being privy to the information internally, you don't understand that element of it.(And going) “And I can see the fans' point of view — they want to add players — but there is an element of building a team.”

It's also about giving your boss — in Lombardi's case, Browns president Joe Banner — multiple shoutouts. Here was another long-winded draft answer from Lombardi that fondly recalled Banner's time with the Eagles:“It's assets. We've collected two assets (by acquiring future picks from the Steelers and Colts) going into next year's draft that we feel like will give us an enhancement going into the draft. I think if you make every decision based on the next week, you're gonna be shortsighted. You have to look at it through a larger lens and look at it from a broader sense.(Here's to you, Mr. Banner) “You see teams that have done this in the past, whether it's been the Baltimore Ravens or New England Patriots or the San Francisco 49ers. If you go over and look at their drafts and see what they've done — Joe did this in Philadelphia when he was there — that's the way to do it. I think there's value in picking a player, in enhancing your picks for future years.(He's almost done) “It's not just running a football team. It's running a business. If you make decisions based on today and tomorrow, it can dramatically impact the future.”

My favorite part of the interview was when Booms — again, as if every NFL team's draft consists mostly of the players they worked out privately — brings up the list of prospects the Browns met with prior to the draft.Lombardi's response: “You're making an assumption. I mean, that's so unfair. You're saying we liked all these guys, so the premise of your question really doesn't come into play.”More Lombardi on Booms' statement that the Browns' last four picks were players who weren't on the list of pre-draft workouts and meet and greets: “Really, you're reading between the lines, and I don't think that's fair. Look, you can agree with what we did or what we didn't do. I think that's certainly a job for morning radio. It's certainly a debate, but the reality is you can't conclude the decisions that we made were based on what you believe to be factual, based on non-facts.”Wait, what?I think Lombardi was trying to say that just because the Browns met with a player before the draft, it doesn't mean they were interested in drafting him. They were doing their due diligence.If you missed the interview, you will also enjoy the segment near the end in which Kiley says, “Mike, let me finish the question.” (Maybe he was tired of hearing about the Eagles and Patriots.)When it was over, Kiley told Lombardi, “We took it easy on you the first time.”Laughs followed.Somewhere in New England, Belichick probably forced himself to smile, too.When it comes to saying nothing, Lombardi has learned from the best.'Politics' got best of Waiters
The 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year race was over not long after it began.Portland point guard Damian Lillard, the No. 6 overall pick in 2012, was the unanimous selection in the voting announced Wednesday.Cavs guard Dion Waiters was fifth, receiving two second-place votes and 15 third-place nods on the 121 ballots, and he thought he should have fared better in the voting. In a response to a fan on Twitter yesterday, Waiters said, “The league is all about politics.” In another reply, he said, “Lol its politics.” Both fans tweeted that Waiters' place in the voting was a “joke.”The real comedy: The list of Rookie of the Year candidates other than Lillard and maybe Hornets big man Anthony Davis, the first overall pick last year.Davis finished second in the voting after averaging 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals in 64 games.Waiters probably deserved to finish third after averaging 14.7 points, 3.0 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 61 contests. But Wizards guard Bradley Beal — the No. 3 overall pick in 2012, and the third-placer finisher — and Pistons center Andre Drummond, who finished fourth in the voting, had comparable seasons to Waiters.Beal played in fewer games (56) than Waiters, averaged fewer points (13.9) and shot similarly bad (41%, compared to Waiters' 41.2%). Beal was a better rebounder (3.8) and averaged fewer assists (2.4).Drummond, meanwhile, had norms of 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steal, but he was the best of the three after the All-Star break (averages of 11.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks). He also shot 67.1% from the field after the break.Third, fifth … It doesn't matter.It can only get better for this rookie class. (At least it better.)You can follow me on Twitter for sports information, analysis and more laughs out loud from Dion Waiters.

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